EPIDEMIC

09.13.11

368 Million Have Diabetes

Pavel Rahman / AP Photo

Diabetes kills one person every seven seconds, and 386 million people worldwide have the disease, according to new estimates by the International Diabetes Federation released Tuesday. The number is a significant increase from 2009, when an estimated 285 million people suffered from the disease. Global health-care spending for diabetes is $465 billion, but the federation says the increasing numbers should spur even more action. “Diabetes is a massive challenge the world can no longer afford to ignore,” the group’s president said. World leaders are convening Sept. 19 and 20 at the United Nations to discuss the disease.